Bed bugs in Regina; is the cost of thermal treatments coming down?

A new article today on the rise of bed bugs in Regina, Saskatchewan, is not unusual. This is a local story about the problem, with soundbites from a local pest management professional: Regina sees increase in bed bugs in The Leader-Post.

We don’t usually cover such pieces, which mainly seem to be a promotional tool for the company quoted. In this case, the story highlights the fact that the Poulin’s Pest Control Services branch in Regina is getting thermal equipment within the next month or so.

However, what caught my eye here is that Shawn Sherwood — branch manager of Poulin’s in Regina — claims in the article that either of their bed bug treatments will be provided to the owner of a 3-bedroom bungalow for an approximate cost of $1000 — regardless of whether it’s a chemical or thermal treatment.

Chemical treatment requires a lot of preparation and must be done once a week for a number of weeks to be effective.

“That must be done a minimum of two and sometimes four or five times,” Sherwood said. “The average three-bedroom bungalow with a finished basement would run you around $1,000 — that’s whether we do it with chemical or with heat.”

[Emphasis mine.]

It’s good news to me that thermal treatment costs can be brought down to the level of a course of chemical treatments for bed bugs. Although there are other reasons one might not prefer thermal treatment, the biggest barrier for most people is cost.

And while $1000 Canadian may be pricey for chemical treatment, it seems to be on par with what others elsewhere pay for a course of chemical treatments.

So I am impressed. However, I haven’t priced treatments in my own area lately.

If you have — wherever you live — I’d be curious what the going rate is for bed bug thermal and/or chemical treatments by an experienced, knowledgeable provider.

If you’re willing to share this information, please comment below, stating where you are (specifically or generally, as in “New York City” or “major East Coast US city”), the size and type of home, and how much you were quoted for a thermal treatment for bed bugs.

Professionals, please remember that these comments are not the place to promote your business.

You can also read more discussions of thermal treatments on the blog or forums.

Thermal $2400
Chemical $750 for 2 visits. We had both done – fist thermal – didn’t work. Chemical seemed to have solved the problem for the time being. I think the guy who did thermal in Vancouver went out of business so thermal is not an option for Vancouverites.

I was quoted $1.25 per square foot with re-treatment if bug reappeared (didn’t get info on length of warranty, tho—my bad which will be remedied if I can go this route). This price quote was from Gary West at Heat Treat Inc in Colorado. His website:http://heattreat.biz/